A very full plate at the FCC, ahead of today's open meeting - GOP to Wheeler: Don't meddle in state broadband

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A VERY FULL PLATE AT THE FCC, AHEAD OF TODAY'S OPEN MEETING — There's a lot swirling at the agency this summer, as it moves forward with controversial new net neutrality rules, reviews at least two mergers, and continues planning for next year's spectrum auction. And that loaded to-do list is certainly giving lawmakers a lot of reasons to seek the Chairman's ear:

-- GOP TO WHEELER: DON'T MEDDLE IN STATE BROADBAND — Sixty House Republicans followed their Senate counterparts with a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler yesterday urging him not to meddle in municipal broadband issues. Alex has the story: "Republican worries stem from comments Wheeler made during a House hearing last month in which he suggested his agency should preempt state laws restricting competition in local broadband markets. … Wheeler — who says his motto is 'competition, competition, competition' — wants to do what he can to roll back bureaucratic limitations that put municipalities at a disadvantage compared with private-sector broadband companies." Pros can catch the rest, here: http://politico.pro/1ud1pQ9

-- AND SENATE DEMS TO WHEELER: EASE UP ON JSAs -- Democratic Senators told the FCC to back off a plan to crack down on some broadcaster sharing arrangements in their own letter to Wheeler Thursday. The new rules, they said, “will further undermine the ability of local broadcasters to serve their communities.” That letter is here: http://politico.pro/1ud8AI3

ON TAP TODAY AT THE FCC: This morning's meeting won't be nearly so contentious. Instead, the commissioners will hear two presentations on pending issues. The first, from AT&T, concerns the ongoing update to transition from circuit-switched to Internet Protocol networks. The second focuses on increasing access to low power FM radio stations. Watch the meeting online here: http://fcc.us/1udmuKd

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING and welcome to Morning Tech, where we're avoiding all black cats and steering clear of open ladders on this Friday the 13th. Let us know which superstitions you're most concerned about — or send tips, comments and digital four-leaf clovers over to emershon@politico.com or @eemershon. And catch the rest of the team's contact info after speed read.

** A true disruptor, Softbank is a pioneer of next-generation mobile devices and helped drive wireless prices down more than 28% in Japan. With SoftBank, you should always expect the unexpected. Learn why at http://softbankusa.com/. **

PRIVACY ADVOCATES STORM THE FTC AFTER FACEBOOK AD CHANGES — Our Katy Bachman has the story: "Within hours of Facebook’s announcement that it would give consumers more control over their ad preferences but expand how it tracks them across the digital universe, privacy advocates were meeting with staff at the Federal Trade Commission and crying foul. Starting in the next few weeks, Facebook users will be able to edit their interest profile that the company uses to sell and serve ads. But the social network also will start tracking users across all the websites and apps they visit to provide advertisers with more precise targeting data. That set off alarm bells among consumer privacy groups that say Facebook is in violation of its 20-year consent decree with the FTC because it did not obtain permission to change how it uses tracking data outside its platform." The groups also blasted the FTC for how it is enforcing the Facebook consent decree, Katy writes. Pros can read the rest: http://politico.pro/1udgZuX

FOR YOUR RADAR: WYDEN TALKING TO TECH CEOS ABOUT NSA'S IMPACT -- Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden last week promised an investigation into the impact of the surveillance revelations on U.S. tech companies, and he shared a little more about what he's up to. "I don't have to talk to them, they're coming to me," he told MT off the Senate floor. "I'm not going to talk specifics about what any particular CEO has talked about, but there have been lots of them. … This is taking a very real toll. If a foreign enemy had done the damage to American cutting-edge innovation companies, we'd be up in arms." Wyden's said he intends to hold a hearing on the issue, but didn't offer any updates on timing for that meeting. We're tracking.

UNIVISION HELD SALES TALKS WITH CBS, TIME WARNER — From today's WSJ: "The owners of Univision Communications Inc., in their search for an exit, have held preliminary discussions in recent weeks with several media companies, including CBS Corp. and Time Warner Inc., according to people familiar with the matter. … The owners are seeking north of $20 billion for the company, according to people familiar with the matter. The group bought Univision for $13.7 billion, including debt, in early 2007. … Univision has long been the dominant Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S. Even so, there is no sign any of the preliminary discussions have led anywhere, however. Among other issues, one person familiar with the situation said, was the price." The story is here: http://on.wsj.com/1hSvSDc

FEINSTEIN, CHAMBLISS WANT 18-MONTH DATA RETENTION PROVISION FOR USA FREEDOM — Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein laid out her vision for the USA FREEDOM Act for her colleagues on the Judiciary committee at a meeting yesterday, saying that she and Intelligence ranker Saxby Chambliss want to update the bill to require telecom companies to keep phone records for 18 months. That's a plan she suggested she was considering last week, but it's one that both industry representatives and privacy advocates have said they oppose. At the Thursday meeting, Feinstein also asked Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy to work with her on a single measure — rather than marking up two separate bills in their committees, which both have jurisdiction on the issue. "It's to the nation's advantage if both the Intelligence and Judiciary committees can be on the same page with the bill," she said. The Vermont Democrat, though, seemed reluctant to follow that path — emphasizing that he has significant privacy concerns with the House-passed measure. "We must fix some of the problems that have been identified with the House bill. Most importantly, we must be sure that any legislation we pass effectively bans bulk collection," he said.

LUNCHTIME COPYRIGHT FIX -- Execs from the Copyright Alliance, the Owners' Rights Initiative and the Software & Information Industry Association head to Rayburn at noon today to talk about digital copyright, and whether you can sell the e-books, music and movies you've bought.

DÉJÀ VU: SNAPCHAT HAS TO PAY UP FOR PRIVACY VIOLATIONS IN MD — Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler settled with the disappearing messages app Snapchat because it deceived consumers about how impermanent their messages really were. It's a settlement that largely mirrors the Federal Trade Commissions settlement with the company, which the agency announced last month — but with two important distinctions. First, Gansler was able to extract a monetary penalty where the FTC wasn't — for $100,000. And second, Gansler's case alleges that the company violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, since it knew that some of its users were under 13 but did not stop collecting personal information about them or seek parental consent. An FTC spokesman did not immediately comment on why the agency didn't pursue similar allegations in its earlier case.

ICYMI: RUBIO DROPS SPECTRUM BILL; CARRIERS APPLAUD — As he promised Wednesday, Sen. Marco Rubio introduced yesterday the Wireless Innovation Act, a bill aimed at increasing access to spectrum. Like last year's Federal Spectrum Incentive Act of 2013 from Reps. Brett Guthrie and Doris Matsui, the bill would provide incentives for federal agencies to free up their spectrum. Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile all applauded Rubio for the bill yesterday.

MIGHT TESLA START TO LOBBY ON PATENT REFORM? Tesla CEO Elon Musk made headlines yesterday when he announced that the company will no longer bring patent lawsuits against anyone who wants to use its technology "in good faith." Musk made the argument that patents too often “serve merely to stifle progress, entrench the positions of giant corporations and enrich those in the legal profession, rather than the actual inventors" — a position that largely echoes arguments made by Silicon Valley firms like Twitter and Netflix, who say patents no longer promote innovation the way they were intended to. He also cited widespread environmental concerns, saying he hoped freeing the patents would encourage the development of more sustainable cars. The high-profile move from Musk could signal a new intention to join the Washington debate on the issue — though Tesla has never before lobbied on patent reforms, according to filings. For now, at least, the electric car company is keeping mum: a spokesman declined to comment Thursday on lobbying plans. The blog post is here: http://bit.ly/1ucZSta

SPEED READ

GOVT WILL AUCTION OFF SILK ROAD BITCOINS. The government will later this month auction off about 30,000 bitcoin that it seized during an October FBI raid of the marketplace Silk Road — worth about $17.4 million, Reuters reports: http://reut.rs/1ktIVVY

IS GOOGLE REPLACING GOD? The WSJ's Christine Rosen looks at whether the digital world is replacing religious affiliation: http://on.wsj.com/1ktHXsV

WILL SILICON VALLEY LIKE OBAMA'S CLIMATE AGENDA? The Upshot at the New York Times takes a look at whether tech will spur a clean energy economy: http://nyti.ms/1ktHmqV

SECURITY FIRM WILL PROTECT ACTIVISTS FROM DDoS ATTACKS. Cloudflare will help out threatented websites alongside groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Pro's Cybersecurity team reports: http://politico.pro/1kSfMc0

SAMSUNG BETS BIG ON FINGERPRINT SCANNING. Samsung's out with a fingerprint-reading tablet with the launch of two new Galaxy Tab S models, The Guardian reports: http://bit.ly/1ktKAuP

ALLEGED BUSH FAMILY HACKER INDICTED. The Romanian Marcel Lazar, also known as Guccifer, was indicted for allegedly hacking into the Bush family's email and social media accounts, as well as other political targets, Reuters reports: http://reut.rs/1hOz4iJ

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** SoftBank takes pride in its role as a disruptor. We are a pioneer of next-generation mobile devices, and we built the fastest LTE wireless network in one of the world’s most advanced mobile markets. Wireless prices have decreased more than 28% in Japan since we entered the wireless market there. Following SoftBank’s more than $22 billion investment in Sprint, we are looking forward to bringing our competitive and innovative approach to the U.S. wireless market. Our goal is to connect Americans to the full promise of the mobile Internet and to improve people’s lives by bringing faster, more reliable wireless services to the U.S. in an age when access to high-speed mobile connectivity is critical. Those who know SoftBank know to expect the unexpected. Learn why at http://softbankusa.com/. **